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Lister Hill Letter
Newsletter of the Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences at UAB

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July/August 2001

IMPACTS OF PRORATION

As most of you are aware, state funding for UAB's library collections has been fairly static for several years.  Since library materials have been increasing roughly 8% to 12% annually, this has put increasing pressure on the libraries to provide access to the high-quality materials, both in print and in electronic form, that are required by our students, faculty, researchers and clinicians.  We have been fortunate that President Reynolds has, for the past several years, supplemented the libraries' budgets with additional funding from the President's Discretionary Fund.  While this does not provide a long-term substitute for adequate funding for the libraries, it has helped us to get through these lean times  without having to make drastic cuts to the collections.
     However, with proration in the current year, a reduced budget in the coming year, and no immediate prospects for relief from the state, the Lister Hill Library is forced to take more aggressive action this year to reduce the deficit that we have been operating under.  President Reynolds has committed another $500,000 for the upcoming fiscal year, but there can be no guarantees that this level of funding can continue.  We will be working closely with the Provost's Office during the next year to look at all possibilities for improving the library's funding situation, but in the meantime it is essential that we reduce expenditures, just like every other unit on campus.
     The specific actions we will be taking include the following (see below for details):

  • Cancellation of subscriptions to some print journals
  • Cancellation of OVID MEDLINE in favor of the National Library of Medicine's PubMed system
  • Cancellation of Current Contents
  • Reduction in monograph purchases
  • Closing of the LHL Microlab
  • Cutbacks in services provided by the UAB Archives
  • Staff reductions through reorganization
While these changes will have a severe impact on the UAB community, we believe that they do not critically impair our ability to provide the necessary information resource support.  The situation remains serious, however, and we will be forced to make more drastic cutbacks in the future if we do not find improved means to adequately fund the library on an ongoing basis.

(Detailed information and journal list available online at http://www.uab.edu/lister/proration.htm.)

Please note that this is a newsletter.
The information and links in individual articles are current as of the date of publication, but they are not kept up-to-date thereafter.

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